Those who know me know that I collect Bibles... and as such have a wide variety of Bibles in all different translations and all different styles. From devotionals to study, I so enjoy finding new ways to explore the Bible.
So, when I first heard of the new NIV Verse Mapping Bible, I was intrigued. The idea of verse mapping was something I had never heard of, so I wanted to learn more about it.
So, what exactly is verse mapping?
Verse mapping is a way to study God's word that involves five steps:
1. Choose: Select a verse and write it out.
2. Compare: Record this verse in two or three other Bible translations and underline key words that are the same or different between translations.
3. Research: Look up the Hebrew or Greek meaning for the underlined words and record it.
4. Consider: Ask questions of the verse. Imagine what it would be like to have experienced what’s happening. Read the verses surrounding this verse and use other study tools to dig even deeper, if you prefer.
5. Apply: What is God saying to you? How does this verse relate to your life today?
Though I was unfamiliar with the term, I realized that I had been doing parts of this method on my own for years... particularly looking at various translations of verses to get a better understanding of what exactly I was reading. Verse mapping just takes it a step further by looking at particular keywords within those texts and finding their original means. By looking at these individual words and verses, we are better able to get a full understanding of what we are reading and how it relates to us today.
While verse mapping doesn't truly require a particular Bible, the NIV Verse Mapping Bible makes it so much easier. Take a look:
Go beyond just reading the Bible.
Verse mapping means getting real about studying the Bible. More than simply reading a verse or Scripture passage, verse mapping means using Bible study tools to research what you’ve just read in the Bible—to learn more about what God is saying to you and how you can apply his Word to your life today.
In the NIV Verse Mapping Bible, author Kristy Cambron expands her verse mapping curriculum series to include verses from the entire Bible, showing you how to compare Bible translations, pick out meaningful words, and delve into the true meaning of each verse using starter verse maps and prompts. Verse mapping will help you study the historical context, transliteration, translation, connotation, and theological framework of a verse. This unique study technique includes exploring Hebrew and Greek word studies, finding connections in Scripture, comparing Bible translations, and learning as much as you can from your time in God’s Word.
Sounds pretty great, right? I was recently sent a copy to try out for myself. While there are a few different styles to choose from to best fit your own personal taste, I personally received the simple gray cloth over board... a simple style, but one that I love nonetheless. The beautifully simple style carried on throughout the Bible's pages as well.
As you read through the Bible itself, you will find many partially complete verse mappings to get you started. These give you the verse, offer a few different translations of said verse and a breakdown of some of the particular words within those verses and what they mean in their original language. Basically, the parts that take more outside research are actually already done for us. Steps 4 & 5 of the verse mapping process are left for us to complete. These are the steps that have us consider what is gong on within the verses and apply them to our life. As such, I felt like this offered a really great starting point for those of us new to verse mapping. At the end of each book of the Bible, there are also some blank verse mapping templates that we can do on our own as well. I suspect by the time that all of these are finally filled, readers will probably have a great understanding of the process and will no longer need those templates as much.
Despite my large collection in Bibles, I must say this one certainly stands out as one of a kind. I truly have enjoyed getting to know more about this process and look forward to working in this Bible in the days and months to come. If you are looking for a new way to get a better understanding of God's word, this is certainly one worth checking out. 
Ready to start verse mapping for yourself? You can purchase your copy of this fantastic Bible at https://versemapping.com/.
And you have the chance to win! Click on the image below for your chance to win an NIV Verse Mapping Bible for yourself. 
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